Fiona knew without a doubt that she had a solution–at least part of one–to dealing with Barry, and figuring out what was rotting under Fiefdala. She also had to explain this in a way that left Bonnie, Darla, and Greg, gasping.
“I’m sorry. What?!” It was Greg’s turn to act flabbergasted like this wasn’t the craziest thing she’d said.
It probably was, though.
“You heard me. The evil bard witch is using Lucy, possibly Rikkard, and definitely Barry in some scheme of hers, getting them to dance to her tune. I don’t think they realize they’ve been affected. Well, Barry maybe, but because he’s too stupid actually to be affected by it. He’s just a malicious jackass.”
It was an hour before opening at the shop, and she’d called everyone early after a few days of relatively normal business. Pierre was still taking up the inventory of the missing gold, and Fiona was peering at Wingding.
Greg was standing at the kiosk, staring at her. “You’re telling me that you think Lucy is under some compulsion? And Rikkard? Two of the most heavily protected people in the Kingdom, and Barry? Do you think they’re all under a spell? Lucy was fine with burning the trade deal with Vale! She does not trust Glados, and I know she is very strong-willed. Fiona, I don't like saying you're wrong, but...this move would be noticed. Glados could not pull that off for long, if at all."
“C’mon Greg, we should at least check it out!” She’d done her reading over the past few days and confirmed with Bonnie, who had told her it might be possible. “You know what my first clue was? Barry. The way he panicked when I told him to go screw off at the party, and that I’d never negotiate with Vale. Like he’s desperate to avoid something.”
“I mean, we know he gambles,” Darla pointed out. “You said as such after the harvest festival, he probably lost a ton of money trying to fix that tournament.”
“Not to mention, his father caught him stealing,” Bonnie furthered, smoothing her fur and tapping at a rune that she was finishing in the oven. “So, there’s history to indicate Barry is in over his head or doesn’t give two licks about this Kingdom, and running it into the ground. The fight against Douglas did drain the coffers somewhat. Greg, how much could it have impacted the kingdom, collectively?”
“Enough that Barry saw a questionable deal from Vale, and was willing to take his chances on it. Glados might not even need to manipulate him in that way,” Greg concluded, frowning lightly as he counted the coins in the till. “Kali, we’re short several coins.”
“Check under the till. Your instructions, anything over a twenty, go underneath, and it gets a magic dweomer,” Kali clucked. He pointed a clawed finger at the crude stick figure of Barry Fiona had put on a whiteboard. It was her best effort to lampoon the man as much as she could manage. "Seriously. What’s her angle? Why not manipulate Rikkard?”
“The more you use a compulsion, the easier someone can figure it out, and you build up a mental resistance to it. Enchanting school 101,” Bonnie explained. “It’s a nasty business, screwing with people’s minds magically, and I doubt Rikkard could be affected--he's tough as nails, physically and mentally. Here in Cepalune, people get resilient against it. I don’t know about our elf here, since she isn’t from Cepalune originally.”
“I'd just sing a song really loudly. I hear that it can break a compulsion," Fiona proposed.
"If I hear you sing 'Sweet Little Psycho' one more time, I'm going to lose my mind," Greg groaned. Fiona stuck her tongue out at him in a playful jest. "I think there are some imports from Earth we could do very much without."
"Sheesh, mood." Fiona tapped Wingding who almost acted as if she’d been tickled, running away from Fiona’s finger. “The point is, as soon as Barry failed to follow through, and the King was aware that he was up to skeeving, Glados got a little desperate.”
“Speculation,” Greg pointed out.
“Hang on. Has our elf ever been wrong on things of this nature?” Darla posed while preparing some delicious bacon sandwiches, and offered one to Greg. He only slightly hesitated before taking a hearty bite. “Suppose she’s right. Glados can only do that for so long before someone would notice.”
“Except, I don’t think anyone has.” Fiona tapped her finger on the counter, trying to figure out the angles. “You know what was odd when Barry dropped the tax on me? No celebration. If I had to take a tally, half the staff was missing, or not working at the palace that day. You think that’s a little strange?”
“Budget cuts, maybe?” Greg suggested.
“Nah. That doesn’t hold up. They were also putting in expensive glass windows. Opulence, maybe, but I think they reduced staff or sent people home, so that no one would have a close eye on what Glados is doing. The next thing is Lucy. I–”
She winced. She did like Lucy. maybe more than she cared to admit to herself, because she found herself missing her talks. She’d touched base a few times in the past week, but she still had her ear to the ground, seeing what her brother was up to. “Okay, show of hands. Who thinks Lucy is compelled?”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
No one raised a hand. “Fi, Lucy’s pretty strong-willed. I don’t think she’s compelled." Bonnie was the first to take a stab at the theory hesitantly. Which, Fiona was relieved at. Bonnie wasn't afraid to tell her when she was wrong.
“Are you guys willing to take a gamble on that? I’m trying to filter out my uh…personal feelings on this one.”
“Ooh, you do like that hot pocket!” Darla teased, golden eyes glimmering with mischief.
“That hot pocket is gonna be the death of me if this keeps up, Darla.” Fiona raised an eyebrow at that rather suggestive statement. “Seriously though, you think I should ask her on a date someday? After we deal with her idiot brother and the nefarious advisor?”
“If you don’t, I will. Hmm. Maybe boy toy will love that idea.” Darla leaned on the counter, looking quite amused by the notion, and licking her lips.
“Don’t make me get the mage to soak you in an ice water bath. It’s in the rules of the establishment,” Fiona proposed. She just hoped Greg hadn’t deleted that line she snuck in. "Okay, you guys don't buy it. Dead theory. Next idea."
“Let's storm the palace, take Glados out in chains, and bust a move on her!” Kali called out, punching his hands together. “Yeah, justice, the Adventurer’s way!”
“Whoa, slow down there, cowbird.” Fiona couldn’t help but applaud Kali’s enthusiasm. “We need proof, first. As much fun as it would be to drag that blonde bunny through the lake as impromptu fishing bait, that power move would likely not be well received."
“Hang on, let’s presume that Glados is working with Vale. What’s the end game?” Greg asked.
“Money! It’s always money, Greg.” She patted his shoulder adoringly, and he grunted. “Name a scheme that didn’t involve money, revenge, or boredom.”
“I…would be hard-pressed to counter that. Also, you fit the profile for all three of those.” His raised eyebrow was the most accusatory thing she’d ever seen from him, and she huffed indignantly. “Now, how do you plan to prove this? In a way that we can verify evidence?”
“We need to find her contacts in Vale. If they exist. Damn, me telling Barry to piss off might have actually worked against us," she grumbled. "I still say he might be compelled. Bonnie, can we prove it?"
Bonnie nodded and finally finished etching a rune. “You betcha. Glados might be clever, but if she has anyone compelled, she has to keep in close range of them or keep a means of reapplying the compulsion. It can be subliminal messaging, so it isn’t always easy to trace. But, the closer you are to the person, the easier it is to pull off.”
“I still don't buy it. Barry couldn't be compelled for this long,” Greg countered, ever the skeptic. “Forgive me for finding this a bit of a stretch, Fiona. We already have a lot of problems on our plate.”
“The rats stealing out of the vault, a bit at a time? That was to put pressure on us, to bring us to the negotiation table about Vale. Except, that failed, and I bet Goldibeard is about to lose his collective cool and do something stupid. Much to my benefit,” Fiona grinned. “Now, we need to know the connection Glados has with Vale. That means going there, and being part of the negotiations. While I’m there, I will be doing my best to figure out their angle, keep Barry safe from his own idiocy, and torch this whole deal.”
“You want to torch it? Yeah, I like this! You sure you weren’t a darkling in a previous life?” Darla asked, all sharpened smiles and polishing a horn to look presentable for the day.
“Yes dear, I totally was. I just shave down my horns every day. I hate it when they grow back,” she added with a playful tease. Darla laughed merrily at this. “The other part of this problem is this: being two places at once. Vale is…not exactly down the street.”
“So, how do you solve that one?” Greg asked.
“Dude, Wingding has the solution already. Remember how I helped Regis?” She tapped the left pauldron on Wingding’s wing, and her gold bangle glowed light. When she braced her arm as if shielding against an incoming attack, something spectacular happened. The gold split and folded like a camera iris, and within a split second, she was holding up a golden shield with silver metal banding forming the backing of the shield, and she grinned as she flashed the shield to all.
“You got the Aegis of Tel’darn?!” Bonnie gasped. “But, it’s keyed to only the Tel’darn family, and the bracer–wait, hang on, it formed from your gold bangle! It’s not quite the same, but…it’s similar.”
“So, this is my theory craft.” Fiona took a deep breath and tapped the shield gently with one finger, listening to the sweet note coming off the metal. “Wingding acquires the powers of items that people…share a bond with. This happened to Levy, and this happened to Marielle. Both times, I reunited something emotionally connected with the people they were separated from. Something with a deep family history. I mean, we only have a sampling of two, but…”
Greg perked up. “I’ve heard of this. There is a specialization of the rogue class called the tinkerer. It’s an exceedingly powerful class that is rarely observed in people’s ‘natural’ class, the one they would end up with, if they left their class choice to chance. But, the administrators don’t typically assign many of that particular class. Most people haven’t even heard of it.”
“But, you have?” Darla pressed. Kali also flapped his wings in excitement. before speaking.
“No Greg's right! Look, my mom and dad might be gone, but they did tell me about a cousin of theirs who had that class. Supposedly, you can steal the abilities of other classes with physical contact with a person. And then they can’t use that ability for a short period. But, why–”
Fiona tapped the other bracer, and felt a flash of light–then a quick floating through air before she landed smack-dab in the middle of the piece of tape formed in the shape of an ‘X’ in the center of the floor.
Kali stared, his speech interrupted. He looked back at where Fiona was, then where she currently was, several times. As did the rest of them. Except Greg, who smiled faintly. Fiona jumped in the air triumphantly, and let out a roar of triumph.
“Uh…” Kali stuttered for a few seconds. “What just happened?”
“I teleported to my safe place! My home away from home!” Fiona made a fist pump through the air. “Now the only challenge is, can I do this, all the way from Vale?!”
“Tell me we’re not doing this,” Darla sighed.
“Oh no. I’m going, along with Greg. Bonnie, Kali, and you will hold the fort, while I go sleuthing for clues. Cita will also come along, and Lucy will be there, snooping on the probable dastardly deeds of her brother. And whenever I have downtime, your moneymaker elf will be here, attending to customers!”
“We really should check the limitations on this one,” Greg stated, already jotting down something on his arcanist pad. “Let’s run some tests.”
“Hey, I’m the mage! I should test! So, you know, we don’t have our elf turned into a cautionary tale about magic gone wrong.” Bonnie, too, was pulling out instruments. “After we finish with the store today, we’re gonna experiment!”